Seven Factors of Servant

Leadership

Matt Stephen, Ed.D.

Servant Leaders in Education

Matt Stephen, Ed.D.

Retired Educator
Studies on Servant Leadership

www.ServantLeadersInEducation.com

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Resources for Servant Leadership

Servant Leadership
Personal Character
Connecting with People
Service Attitude

History of Servant Leadership Theory

Robert K. Greenleaf (The Father of Modern Servant Leadership)

Greenleaf is widely recognized as the one who coined the term, servant leadership.
Greenleaf spent 40 years at AT&T as a manager of research, development and
education. Upon retirement, Greenleaf spent the next 25 years in a pursuit of
creating a better, more caring society. Greenleaf remarked that he had great concern
for leadership in America, the outlook for better leadership in our leadership-poor
society is not encouraging. Greenleaf founded the Center for Applied Ethics in 1964
which was renamed the Robert K. Greenleaf Center in 1985 (www.greenleaf.org)

Greenleaf stated in his 1970 ground-breaking essay for servant leadership entitled,
The Servant as Leader, The servant-leader is servant firstIt begins with the
natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings
one to aspire to lead. Blanchard (1999) agreed with Greenleaf that servant leaders
are first servants before they become leaders when he stated, Strong natural
servantswill assume leadership only if they see it as a way in which they can
serve.

Greenleaf, R. K. (1977). Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. New York: Paulist Press.
Blanchard, K. (1999). The heart of a leader. Colorado Springs, CO: Honor Books.

Ten Characteristics of Servant Leadership

Spears (1996)
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2.

3.

4.

5.

Listening Servant leaders communication skills are enhanced through a

deep commitment to listening intently to the followers. Servant leaders seek
to identify and clarify the will of the group. Receptive listening and reflection
are essential to the growth of a servant leader.
Empathy Servant leaders strive to understand and empathize with others.
They accept and recognize followers for their unique spirits; and they assume
others have good intentions, even if they disagree with behavior or
performance.
Healing Servant leaders are adept at healing others as well as themselves.
They help make others whole by facilitating the healing of broken spirits.
Servant leaders share with followers the search for wholeness.
Awareness Servant leaders exhibit a general awareness of what is
happening in the organization. They possess a keen sense of self-awareness
and an understanding of issues involving ethics and values. Servant leaders
are often described as disturbers and awakeners.
Persuasion Servant leaders employ persuasion rather than position
authority when making decisions within the organization. They prefer to
convince rather than coerce followers. Servant leaders are very effective with
building consensus within the group.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Conceptualization Servant leaders do not deal only with short-term goals

and thinking. They are able to stretch their thinking to encompass broaderbased conceptual thinking. Servant leaders can nurture the abilities of others
to dream great dreams and to think beyond day-to-day realities.
Foresight Servant leaders are capable of understanding lessons from the
past, seeing the realities of the present, and predicting likely consequences of
decisions. They are adept at intuitive thinking.
Stewardship Servant leaders are dedicated to holding their institutions in
trust for the greater good of society. They are committed to serving the needs
of others.
Commitment to the Growth of People Servant leaders believe in the
intrinsic value of people beyond their tangible contributions as workers. They
feel responsible for nurturing the personal, professional and spiritual growth
of employees.
Building Community Servant leaders are dedicated to rebuilding the
sense of community that has been lost with the shift to large institutions.

Seven Virtuous Constructs of Servant Leadership

Patterson (2003)
Patterson, K. A. (2003). Servant leadership: A theoretical model. Servant Leadership Roundtable. Regent University School of
Leadership Studies, Virginia Beach, VA.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Agapao Love Love is the cornerstone of the servant leader-follower relationship. Servant leaders
see followers as whole persons with different gifts and talents. They are able to focus on followers first,
then on their talents and how those talents benefit the organization.
Humility Servant leaders are able to keep their accomplishments and talents in perspective. They
focus on others rather than themselves. Servant leaders have an authentic desire to help others, and
they search for ways to serve others through staying in touch with their followers.
Altruism Servant leaders help others just for the sake of helping. They have an unselfish concern for
others which often involves personal sacrifice. Servant leaders behaviors are directed toward the
benefit of others even when those behaviors are against their own personal interests.
Vision Servant leaders have a vision for their individual followers. They help others to see the big
picture by enabling them to develop a clear sense of purpose and direction. Servant leaders develop
within others the mission to serve and encourage followers to become more than they thought
possible.
Trust Servant leaders develop trust through demonstrating integrity and concern for others. They
create open environments where everyone has a voice and they work collaboratively.
Empowerment Servant leaders empower others with the best interest of those being served in
mind. They teach and develop people as leaders through shared decision-making and shared
responsibility. Servant leaders make it a priority to grow new servant leaders.
Service Servant leaders choose the interests of others over self-interests. They see leadership as a
calling - a life mission. Servant leaders accept the responsibility for serving others; and they are
committed to an authentic, personal involvement with followers through the giving or their time, energy,
care, and compassion.

Page and Wongs

7 Servant Leadership Traits

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

7.

Empowering and Developing Others

Vulnerability/Humility
Serving Others
Open, Participatory Leadership
Visionary Leadership
Courageous Leadership
(Integrity/Authenticity)
Inspiring Leadership

Spears 10 Characteristics of
Servant Leaders (1996)

Pattersons 7 Virtuous
Constructs of Servant
Leadership (2003)

Page & Wongs 7 Factors of

Servant Leadership (2003)

Commitment to Growth of People

Empowerment

Empowering and Developing

Others

Empathy

Humility

Vulnerability/Humility

Healing
Stewardship

Agapao Love
Service

Serving Others

Listening
Building Community

Open, Participatory Leadership

Conceptualization
Foresight

Vision

Visionary Leadership

Awareness

Altruism

Courageous Leadership
(Integrity/Authenticity)

Persuasion

Trust

Inspiring Leadership

Seven Factors of Servant

Leadership
Personal Character

1.
2.
3.
4.

Humility
Serving Others
Courageous Leadership (Integrity)
Visionary Leadership

Interaction with Others

5.
6.
7.

Empowering and Developing Others

Open, Participatory Leadership
Inspirational Leadership

Humility

Who am I? Self-reflection as a tool for

personal growth

Humble Character
Providing a role model of Humble Leadership

Absence of ego, jealousy, and self-promotion

Putting needs of others first
Team membership (walk and talk)
Elevating and praising others

Mentoring others in humility and self-reflection

Humility

Vulnerability - Risks and rewards of an open,

humble leadership style

Tenderhearted Leadership

Tenderhearted mercy (fair and caring)

Kindness (considerate toward others)
Humility (one of the team)
Gentleness (peaceful, calm, soft-spoken)
Patience (self-control)

Serving Others
Personal Mission of Serving Others

Servant role and attitude Master vs. Servant

Leadership
Living and articulating a personal mission of service
Mission as a motivator and stress reliever

Nurturing Others

Healing Others Making People Whole

Listening and empathy

Understanding others situations
Accepting others unique gifts and spirits

Serving Others
Stewardship Accountability to the Community

Holding an institution in trust for the greater good of

society
Active service in the community

Making Service-minded Decisions

Sacrifice

Living a life of giving to others

Balancing personal and professional life

Courageous Leadership
Integrity

Examining ones integrity values, beliefs, and guiding

principles
Character is made in the small moments of our lives. Phillips Brooks

Actions of high integrity leaders taking the high road

Integrity killers

Authenticity

Genuine leadership
Admitting to mistakes and asking forgiveness

Courageous Leadership
Awareness

Self-awareness and awareness of others

Building a purposeful reputation
Understanding issues involving ethical dilemmas

How Fear Affects Leaders and Organizations

Visionary Leadership
Conceptualization

Seeing the big picture and dreaming great dreams

Reflecting on the organization beyond day-to-day
issues

Foresight

Leader intuition
Using lessons from the past and realities of the present
to predict consequences of decisions for the future

Vision

Providing direction and purpose for people/organization

Articulating personal vision

Creating a shared vision and buy-in from the team

Navigating an organization through shared vision

Empowering and
Developing Others
Connecting with Others

Getting to know and understand one another on a personal

level
Getting to know and understand one another on a
professional level
Building long-lasting relationships

Commitment to the Growth of Others

Making a commitment to grow others

How to help others grow

Maxwells Enlarging Process

See potential

Cast a vision for their future

Tap into their passions

Address their character flaws

Focus on their strengths

Empowering and
Developing Others
Professional and Personal Development

Focusing on the needs of those in the organization personal, professional, and spiritual
Learning for continuous improvement

Fighting isolation
Creating professional learning communities

Growing New Leaders

Providing a model for servant leadership

Mentoring new leaders
Delegating

Matching abilities and interests to tasks

Sharing power

Open, Participatory Leadership

Effective Communications in an Organization

Listening

Listening to individuals
Listening to the will of the group

Promoting kindness, trust, honesty, and openness in all

interactions

Setting high standards for self and others

Promoting vital conversations in organizations
Dealing with confrontations

Visibility and Accessibility

Building Cooperative and Collegial Teams

Shared decision-making and shared power

Trust building
Building positive culture

Inspiring Leadership
Influencing Others

Persuasion vs. position authority

Becoming a leader of influence
Getting others to embrace the vision and mission

Getting the Best from Others

What makes a leader inspiring

Visionary Leadership + Courageous Leadership = Inspiring Leadership

Power is created when individuals perceive that their leaders are honorable, so they trust
them, are inspired by them, believe deeply in the goals communicated by them, and desire
to be led. Stephen Covey, Principle-Centered Leadership

Connecting with, believing in, and motivating people

Optimism
Celebrating